Puzzle game devices are known today whose component parts can be moved in space in the form that has been mentioned above, adopting on the outside both a cubic shape and a spherical shape. The number of parts or elements which form the device varies widely, and in some cases it may be formed by eight parts and in others by a notably larger number. In the case of cube-shape puzzles, each of their sides can be formed with those corresponding to four, nine, sixteen, etc., small size cube elements or dice.
There are also puzzles whose outside shape determines a polyhedron of the type formed by a plurality of triangular sides, such as an icosahedron. In other cases, the parts are independent and can fit together to form a ball whose outside area is determined by the grouping or hexagonal and pentagonal shapes in the known form.
In these cases which show a structure that is more similar to the didactic game of the puzzle which the invention proposes, the parts which form it can be moved around in space and present a complex structure to keep these parts together, and normally springs and screws intervene, at least for part of their pieces.
The parts which form a puzzle in accordance with the present invention and with which a sphere is composed, can be moved around in the space between the three shafts of coordinates. Each part forms an octant of the sphere which may occupy any position in respect of the rest.
The purpose of this invention is that these parts are located around an inner part which has arms arranged in correspondence with the shafts of these coordinates, and they are kept grouped together only by the fit of their forms and counter-forms and without any fixture screw or similar part intervening.
In general lines and to achieve the advantageous features which are proposed, and at the same time eliminate the setbacks which similar devices offer today, the didactic puzzle game which forms the object of this invention is made up of eight parts which are connected to an inner part and fit perfectly by pressure and are retained so that they cannot become accidentally separated, for which only the flexibility of the material which forms them intervenes, and also the geometric shape and perfect machining of forms and counter-forms established between the adjacent components.
Since the eight parts define respective octants of a sphere and they must be able to move around in space in the known form on the three perpendicular shafts, the puzzle in question includes like others of its kind, an inner component materialized by a small sphere from which six cylindrical arms depart, arranged according to these shafts, finished off in conical or trunci-conical flareouts.
Each of the outer mobile parts which we will in future call octants, have a spherical machining on the vertex, to rest against the spherical surface of the small central sphere, in the free zones of the six cylindrical arms. On the outside, the side faces of these octants surpass the length of the arms, including the tops or their ends, where the three sides have arched offsets or channels where the tapered ends of the arms play, and consequently the depth of these channels has the same gradient as the distance of the conical shape of the end finishes.
The more internal area in respect of these curved channels where the tapered ends of the arms can move, shows a parallel off-phase in respect of the outer part, in a magnitude which is equivalent to half the diameter of these arms, so that these can thus be moved by the annular chambers that are formed inside. According to this, once the sphere is formed, the portions which are radially more distant from the areas which are in contact with two contiguous octants, establish mutual support, whilst the remaining area is distant from that of the contiguous octant according to a diametric section which recalls an arrow-shape, thus adjusting itself to the arm and flare finish of same.
Thus, each octant rests on three conical ends, three arms and on the small central sphere.
The spherical area of each of the eight octants has part of the surface of the globe sketched on it preferably in a maritime shipping chart. It is moreover foreseen that the octants have another spherical methacrylate surface attached or adhered, to protect the engraved motif.
The eight octants, which are related with one another by the central part, leave a space or channel between them according to the surfaces described, permitting a relative displacement of the arms with their conical or trunci-conical ends. Each octant therefore has three degrees of freedom to rotate in a horizontal, vertical and in another vertical plane perpendicular to the previous one, namely, around the three perpendicular shafts, such that each octant can thus occupy the position corresponding to any other one of them. Since the outside area of the sphere must faithfully reflect the motif represented in it, for example, the maritime shipping chart, the game consists in forming it correctly when it is out of place.
To fix the correct relative position between the interior part and the octants, thus permitting a turning movement around any of the perpendicular shafts, without there being any problem as consequence of a possible blocking when it turns on any of these perpendicular shafts, one of the octants is deprived of movement in respect of the inner part. According to this, three of the arms of the inner part are located in the respective edges of the octant, that is to say, this latter is located in the quadrant defined by three of the arms of the inner part. This immobilization which can however be achieved by gluing, is preferably obtained because there are bosses on either side and in a position contiguous to the arms to thus prevent the movement of latter.
To facilitate an understanding of the characteristics of the invention and forming an integral part of this descriptive report, sheets of drawings are attached whose figures, in an illustrative but not a restrictive manner, have represented the following: